LANDMARK WORK ON 19TH CENTURTY ITALIAN ECONOMICS

SCIALOJA, ANTONIO.

I Principj della Economia Sociale Esposti in Ordine Idealogico.

Napoli, Dalla Tipografia di Gennaro Palma, 1840. 8vo. In contemporary full blue cloth with blindstamped title to spine. Remains of paper-label to to lower part of spine. Extremities with a few bumps and light soiling. Internally with light brown-spotting throughout. 379, (1) pp.

The exceedingly rare first edition of Scialoja's seminal first publication. Scialoja - by Schumpeter characterized as a person of "conspicuous brilliance" - here presents himself as a follower of Say; to a large extend, his work is a tribute to French though. Scialoja published his work at the age of 23 and "I principj" is today being regarded as one of the landmark works of 19th century Italian economics. It anticipated many of the thoughts presented by Keynes in the first half of the 20th century and it was instrumental in the economic development of the Resorgimento.

For Scialoja the main cause of underdevelopment and imbalances that prevent a balanced growth of the economy must be sought in the undeveloped agricultural sector and lack of capital. According to Scialoja you can still talk about underdevelopment if economic growth is not used to make further developments in the agrarian sector. Because of the need of continuous development (economic and techinically) Scialoja consider the business owner the most important part in the healthy growth.
Public intervention is particularly wanted - and in this regard he anticipates Keynes by almost a century - to correct and guide the country's economy to prevent instabilities.

Antonio Scialoja (1817 - 1877) graduated in law at Naples in 1841 and became a professor of political economy at University of Turin in 1846. Antonio Scialoja is considered a leading figure in the economic policy of the Risorgimento. As a close ally of Cavour he was one of the chief archictects of the economic aspect of the Risorgimento and functioned as Minister of Agriculture and Commerce in the Liberal government of Carlo Troja, finance minister in the interim government of Garibaldi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture in the first Ricasoli Government of the Kingdom of Italy, counselor of the Court of Auditors and senators from 1862, Minister of Finance in the Government of La Marmora, second Government of Ricasoli and finally Minister of Education in Government Lanza and in the second Government Minghetti.

In 2006 the work was republished with a new introduction.

Goldsmiths 31364
Carl-Menger=Bibliothek 720
The catalogue of Mattioli holds several later works by Scialoja but not the present.
The catalogue of Einaudi lists the second edition (1846) and the first French translation (1844) but not the present first.

Order-nr.: 50928